Deancm_MKII

Interviews are only two way when a person has enough professional skills and experience to be in a position to turn the job down. Many people are not that fortunate and taking a job, any job, is a matter of necessity.

The biggest problem is that most employers don't see the interview process as two way. It is more a case of "if I say jump, you say how high"

IvanM

Is that the police?

Deancm_MKII

The Police and every other employer.

LouiseR

I'd definately agree with that. Interviews don't tend to be what the company can offer you and why you should work for them it's more of a case of why should we hire you, what can you do for us.

I'm one of those that doesn't have a special or unique skill so I have to say How high... but I'm ok with that! I'm good in interviews and *touch wood* have been offered every job I've been interviewed for.

IvanM

I find that companies gain more interest in you when you show more interest in them. I find the two way process best at the end of the second interview when you can tell there is an interest. They want people who will jump high and stay on. It costs them a lot of money for a failed employment.

Deancm_MKII

Ivan, what is your area of specialisation?

IvanM

IT Infrastructure. Plenty of competition for jobs. Good companies still want good people. I have recently been through a redundancy and a few interviews so I am quite familiar with the process for some companies.

I understand it varies depending on industry, occupation and location but good employers want good people.

Deancm_MKII

Yes, good employers want good people. However, you yourself are a skilled individual. While there may be competition for positions in your field, having those skills does put you in a position of negotiating power. In this situation employers are far more compliant and the interview process will be far more collaborative. It does cost a lot to employ people however for many low skilled jobs, these positions are disposable and from an employers point of view, so are the people.

You are in a fortunate position to have marketable skills.

BadgeIsBack

You also come across as being very personable!

:-)

IvanM

Skill yourself up. I started at the bottom and have worked in low skilled jobs. Many were very casual. I still always had a choice of whether to stay. Employers are also disposable in the low skilled world.

All I can say is work on what you can control. Your skills is one part. It is hard work but it has paid off for me. Have you noticed the ones with money and in power are those that take control of matters?

Deancm_MKII

For many people that is easier said that done. Some people have rent to pay, mouths to feed and simply do not have the time to spare to study.

Employee quits his job. Employer advertises said position and receives 200 applications. Now unemployed ex-employee applies for a similar job with another company and he is competing with 200 other applicants. Can you see where the balance of power lies here?

That is very true.

Can you imagine though if everyone skilled themsleves up? Who would do the menial jobs? How would it affect salaries and competition in skilled jobs.

IvanM

No skills and you are still at the bottom of the chain. I study with two special needs kids and rent to pay. No me time. You want to move up the food chain you have to fight for it. No one is going to hand it to you.
I found I was very much in demand and found low skilled employment without issue. This depends on where you are but this is the case in most of Sydney.
It is not about what everyone else does. It is about what you do and what you take control of. The less unskilled labour there is the higher wages will go.

The ones I feel for are those who are trapped by having to care for others or who are impaired intellectually. They do not have the control. For those of able body or mind they need to look at themselves and ask if they want to stay in that position.

The biggest factor I see holding people up is confidence which means taking a risky jump is very hard.

Deancm_MKII

Is this in the current employment market?

However, with employment the ultimate decision rests with the employer and that is outside of anyone's control.

Yes the higher the wages will go in the unskilled sector. If everyone is skilled how will it affect wages in the skilled sector? Probably see salaries coming down. Supply vs demand.

Yes, very difficult position to be in.

Confidence is one. Lack of ambition another. Happy with their lot or just plain laziness. Plenty of dope smoking surfers that would rather surf all day on the dole than get a job.

IvanM

I got my current job in March and have got plenty of work in previous recessions such as early nineties. I also got work in IT in 2002 in Sydney when the dotcom bust hit hard.
As I say you control what you can. The more you do of that the more likely you will get your way. Those that do not take any control fall by the wayside complaining.
Supply vs demand is always there but skilled jobs will always have more of an imbalance in favour of the employee. I have seen IT go from huge salaries for a monkey to very competitive these days.

BadgeIsBack

I would say it's more of a case of 'Here is a job that you and we think you can do. It comes with these benefits'. How hard you have to work or how lucky you have to be are widely dependant!

I think that is quite shrewd reading between the lines. Most of the people I know who skilled up and did very well in a short space of time are either lucky, picked a niche area or worked very hard for very long, or their achievement was, even if they didn't realise it at the time, the end of a roadmap of ever increasing return and investment. There is a sweet spot.

I see young people on the train studying yet another crash course in some aspect of a bank or institution's backoffice operations in the hope of going from ~40k+ a year to ~60k+ a year. It's a return. I've also heard them complain about the lack of a career path to get to where they want to be. I saw other people going into IT and going fom 50k to 100k in ~12-18 months. Other people were high earners from an early point, and expected that, but they had to put in 7 years plus of higher education. Some people hit their relative earnings ceiling sooner than others.

I skilled up in around 12-18 months and then had a rapid return. But some of the skills were in place 10 years before..I'm not sure I could do all that again without some sort of risk - right now.

People sort of do make their own luck. Some people make choices which will curtail them, and maybe their children. This is starting to sound like the cooment that GG controversially made!